


just a game

by Over_the_Love204



Series: To Build a Home [7]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU of my AU, Alternate Universe, Bad Decisions, Crazy but romantic!Klaus, Deja Vu, Drama, F/M, Gen, Genderswap, Hybrids, Mystic Falls, Ripper!Stefan, Romance, Season 1, Siblings, Vampires, Werewolves, doppelgangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:29:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_the_Love204/pseuds/Over_the_Love204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU of my Genderswapped "To Build a Home" universe.  </p>
<p>What if Klaus has been watching Stephanie since their last fling and Steph and Damon are having one of their annual spats?  Kind of a, “What if Damon hadn’t been stalking Elena before they met and Stephanie doesn’t want to make any human attachments in case she falls off the wagon again?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	just a game

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a little out there. I mean, who ever heard of doing an AU of one of their own AU’s? 
> 
> This is a semi-dark fic written under the premise that Klaus has been watching Stephanie since their last fling and she and Damon are having one of their annual spats. Kind of a, “What if Damon hadn’t been stalking Elena before they met and Stephanie doesn’t want to make any human attachments in case she falls off the wagon again,” kind of thing.  
> Set during the season one era and evolves forwards.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

_“_ _No light, no light in your bright blue eyes_   
_I never knew daylight could be so violent_   
_A revelation in the light of day_   
_You can't choose what stays and what fades away_   
  
_And I'd do anything to make you stay_   
_No light, no light_   
_No light_   
_Tell me what you want me to say.”_

 

Stephanie doesn’t know why she comes back to Mystic Falls, exactly.  She hasn’t been back since the 70s and she runs the risk of someone recognizing her, but something draws her to the small town and feelings of nostalgia are predominant in her thoughts and heart.

The night Stephanie arrives, it’s to save a teenager from a car accident on Wickery Bridge; she’s too late to save her parents, regrettably.  Stephanie barely gets a good look at the girl, a Gilbert, but in the half-light the full moon provides, she looks eerily like Katherine.  It was startling, and so Stephanie takes her to the hospital and reports the accident before quickly disappearing. 

In the weeks after, the whole town mourns; the two dead Gilberts were very popular and loved in Mystic Falls.  The girl (and her apparent brother) was now living with their young, spirited aunt.  Steph feels sorry for them, remembering her own hurt when her mother had died and the sharp pangs of grief that still plagued her over her father’s murder.

She stays away from the rest of the town as they grieve for two of its most prominent members and hides away with her “Uncle” Zach.  She can tell from the sidelong glances and the carefully maintained space between them that he’s eager for her to pick up and leave again, but is much too polite to say anything quite yet.  It doesn’t bother her because she knew that he was right to worry about her.

She’s always been a little unstable, so to speak.

Stephanie thinks about enrolling to school a few times after seeing a group of High School aged kids around the town, but she overhears some nasty rumors and gossip spreading about one student or another as she sits at the bar in the Mystic Grill and she remembers why she doesn’t particularly enjoy going to High School.  (College was slightly tamer, Stephanie thought, but considering she _was_ eternally seventeen, it was always difficult to go through the regular four to eight years without raising any white flags with people.)

She waves the bar tender over and discreetly compels him with her (admittedly weak) powers to give her something a little stronger than iced Sprite.  The man nods and slips away, leaving Stephanie to her thoughts once more.

She taps her short, white painted nails on the bar with her right hand and fingers her lapis lazuli ring on its chain around her neck with her left.  Her high top Chuck Taylor’s are resting on the bar on her stool, her legs too short for her feet to fall to the floor.  The ends of her skinny jeans are tucked into the high tops, and her dark blue tank top is snug on her figure, accenting her curves.  Stephanie turns her head to the bar tender when he returns and she smiles at him, thanking him as she tucks a piece of curly caramel hair behind one of her ears.

“Is this seat taken?” The accented words are breathed down Stephanie’s neck and she looks up at a handsome man with dark blonde hair that curls closely to his head.  His blue eyes are mischievous as they dance, watching Stephanie eye him.  He’s in a dark jacket and stylish forest green shirt, and he’s wearing trousers instead of jeans, while his black boots are slightly worn but still shiny.

“No,” Stephanie said vaguely and nods towards the empty stool, turning back to sip discreetly at her beer the barkeep just dropped off. The door to the Grill opens and group of chattering and laughing teenagers stumble inside.  Steph looks up and sees a bubbly blonde girl with long curly hair and an infectious smile talking with a shorter girl (but not shorter than Stephanie, she was sure) with mocha skin and frizzy hair.   Behind them is a blonde jock in a letter jacket and frown on his face, next to an arrogant looking boy with short dark hair.  Lagging behind the group are the two Gilbert children who just lost their parents, the girl still startlingly like Katherine.  (Stephanie had almost thought maybe it had been a mistake; but no, there was no mistaking that this Elena girl could have been Katherine’s twin.)

“How long have you been in town?” The handsome stranger brings Stephanie’s attention back to him.

“Not long,” She looks at the man through the corners of her eyes.  He’s sitting particularly close with less than a foot between them, but it could just be the placement of stools, seeing as it _was_ a bar.  He was young looking, but at least Damon’s physical age at twenty-four; he couldn’t have been more than twenty-eight.

“I just got in,” He says with an easy grin.

“Clearly,” Stephanie smiles a little, “with that accent.  London?”

“Bit of everywhere, really,” He says and stills out one of his hands.  “Call me Klaus.” He’s got long slender fingers; artists’ hands.

Stephanie takes it in her own small but deft hand and shakes firmly.  “Steph, then.  What’s Klaus short for?”

“Niklaus,” The man said with a shrug.  “My parents were old fashioned,” He explains with a twinkle in his eyes.  “My older brothers are called Elijah and Finn, if it helps.”

Stephanie quirks the corner of her mouth.  “Not particularly.  What was wrong with Nicholas?”

Klaus shrugs with an amused look on his face.  “Parents are strange creatures, don’t you think?”

Stephanie thinks of her own mother, a beautiful French woman with matching green eyes and long, curly dark hair that fell down to her waist; she’d had a voice and compassion of an angel and Damon was a near mirror image of her.  Except for the eyes; he’d had  
their father’s eyes and Stephanie had their mother’s.  She thinks briefly of her father, who’d spoiled her but kept her in an iron barred cage, so to speak, keeping her from even the barest amounts of freedom.  (She remembers Katherine and vampires and monsters and knows why.)

“Yes, they are,” Stephanie agrees after a (too) long silence passes them.  “Very strange.”

A particularly loud burst of laughter comes from the corner of the Grill containing the Gilberts and their school friends, making Stephanie briefly glance in their direction.  She feels Klaus follow her gaze and she wonders if she imagines the briefly tensing of his figure on his stool.  Why would a group of students, raucous and loud as they were, draw Klaus’ attention so?

“Know anyone over there?” Stephanie asks half seriously when Klaus turns back to her.

“No,” Klaus says easily, “it’s just the one of the ladies reminded me of someone I used to know.” Stephanie arches a brow, but her heart thrums.  Klaus was another of Katherine’s lovers, maybe?  She really didn’t want to deal with another one of those; Damon and her had run into one in London decades ago and he’d been as volatile as a livewire and about as crazy as they come.

“Oh?” Stephanie asks and takes a long swig of beer.  “What was her name?”

Klaus’ eyes are on Stephanie as she puts her glass back down onto the bar.  “Katarina Petrova.”

“That’s a variation of Katherine Pierce,” Stephanie says flippantly, but her eyes are narrowed warily.

“Yes,” Klaus nods and sends her a sly look, “I know.”

“How do you know Katherine?” Stephanie asks quickly and under her breath; a test to see if he’s a vampire.

“My brother was infatuated with her, many years ago,” Klaus says as softly as she.

Stephanie quirks an eyebrow upwards as she says, “That must have been unfortunate.”

Klaus smiles delightedly.  “It was,” He says ruefully.

She doesn’t trust him, but Klaus is proving to be an interesting person (vampire) and Stephanie’s been so lonely; she almost aches for companionship.  Lexi’s off with her new lover, a man she turned called Lee, and Damon . . . well.  He was Damon and she and him weren’t on the best of terms.  (Hadn’t been for nearly fifteen years, now.)  Zach is distant.

She has no other friends, sadly enough.

They sit in pleasant silence, drinking and dare she think it, enjoying each other’s company.  Like all vampires, Klaus could drink quite a lot and not get drunk, and together, Stephanie and he went through quite a few glasses before the barman cut them off with a despairing look.  

When Stephanie leaves, slightly tipsy, Klaus follows her with his long fingers curling around her elbow.  They draw a few glances and Steph can hear quite a few people murmuring and whispering about these two beautiful strangers in their midst; who are they?  What are they doing here, of all of places?  He looks much too old to be dating such a young girl . . .

Steph rolls her eyes.

“Humans love to gossip, love,” Klaus murmurs laughingly into her ear, “They have for centuries; since the dawn of time, I imagine.”

“Just how old are you?” Stephanie wonders.  They walk side by side through the dark streets of Mystic Falls and Klaus hasn’t let go of Steph’s elbow; she doesn’t mind too terribly.

“Much older than you, I can assure,” Klaus says and his lips quirk up in the corners.

“How?”

“You’ve got the air of someone who hasn’t yet seen the entire world yet,” Klaus whispers huskily into her ear, “I have.”

Stephanie scoffs.  “That’s ridiculous and impossible; you can’t have seen the _entire_ world.”

“I’ve had lifetimes to do it,” Klaus counters.

“Katherine had lifetimes,” Stephanie muses with arches brows.

“I was old when Katarina turned,” It’s Klaus’ turn to scoff. 

Stephanie says nothing to that and she picks up the pace using her vampire speed, feet hitting the pavement faster than the speed of light as the soles of her Chuck Taylor’s wore down.  Klaus kept pace with her easily and Stephanie could tell he was slowing down to accommodate her.  From some reason, this frustrated Stephanie, and she sped up.

She doesn’t go to the Boarding House for a few reasons; one, Klaus is a strange vampire and despite his easy going nature, Stephanie isn’t going to risk her nephew’s safety because she’s lonely; and two, Zach would be unlikely to invite the new vampire into the house.

Instead, she heads the little meadow and the lake that sits in it.   Stephanie settles on the shore and watches the full moon’s reflection on the water as Klaus lowers himself down next to her.

“I’d have thought you’d have left by now,” Stephanie says a little dryly.

“You’re much too interesting for me to leave you now,” Klaus says lightly and Steph arches a brow.

“You’re making things up, now,” Stephanie says, unimpressed.  She’s been told by (too) many that she has a stick up her ass when she’s on her bunny diet.

“Really?” Klaus is suddenly inches from her face and his lips are hovering just over hers.  His blue eyes are bright up close and they meet her gaze head on, briefly flicking down to look at her rosy lips.  Stephanie can’t her eyes off his; they are red and truly very pretty as they’re parted.

“Truly,” Stephanie murmurs and wonders when the last time she had a man take an interest that she returned.  Most of them, she knew, Damon had scared off, killed, or maimed.  Others, she’d simply shunned, for their own safety.  (She was a monster, you know; can’t be too careful.  Stephanie tried, she really did, and as much as she condemned Damon’s lifestyle, she couldn’t deny the many times she’d fallen of the wagon.)

Klaus closed the distance between them and it was like fireworks going off; the explosion of intense feeling and de je vu hit her, but Stephanie couldn’t place the familiarity of this vampire’s lips.  Her eyes slid closed and she felt his hands gingerly slip behind her neck and slide through her caramel hair.

She pulled back, confused as to why she’d just kissed this complete stranger after knowing him for less than twenty four hours.

“Why . . . ?”

“I rather fancy you,” Klaus whispered, “you know.  I’ve fancied you for a long time.”

That was eerie.

“That’s ridiculous,” Stephanie said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.  “We’ve only just met.”

Klaus cradled her face and met her eyes.  “ _No, we haven’t.  You remember meeting me for the first time, and the second, and all of the others.  You_ remember.”

Stephanie blinks as the rush of imagines and thoughts and feelings flood her.  Her whole body tingles head to toe and she meets Nik’s gaze, shocked and surprised. 

This is the first time they’ve met that she’s been on the wagon.

It’s a surreal experience.

Vampires feel everything so intensely, especially when they have their humanity turned on (and Stephanie had had her humanity turned on when she’d been high on human blood) and she can feel everything she felt for Nik then and Klaus now.

“Why do you keep making me forget you?” Stephanie whispers, flummoxed and hurt.  Her anger was rising in her veins, making her heart speed up even as her fingers flutter around Klaus’ angular face.  “Why do you keep coming and then leaving like we’re nothing?  Why do you think that we can just pick up where we leave off every time?”

Because Klaus was a monster and while Stephanie was one too (she was the first to admit it), she did better when Klaus wasn’t around.  She could be better (more human) when he was gone, just a memory locked away in a box with chains upon chains on it that didn’t even rattle.

“I’ll explain everything to you,” Klaus says, blue eyes searching Stephanie’s, “Everything.  And then I would like a bit of help, love.”

“Why would I help you?” Stephanie asks, eyes narrowing and she’s angry that she loves this man. 

“I won’t ever have to leave you again if you do,” Klaus swears, eyes bright and red lips curling up into a smile, “Never.”

The offer is compelling.

“We slaughtered hundreds,” Stephanie realizes and her heart flutters and her fists clench, “I enjoyed it.  I . . .”

“Let me explain, Ripper,” Klaus’ voice is mesmerizing, “Come on, love.  You’ll understand.  And then I’ll help you and we’ll be together again.” Stephanie searches Klaus’ eyes and thinks that it can’t hurt to at least listen to him. 

So he explains e _verything._

Everything from Tatia and the Originals to the curse that binds him until he can find the doppelgänger, a moonstone, a werewolf, a vampire, and a full moon.

“Help me break the curse,” Klaus’ hands ghost over Stephanie’s shoulders, “Please, love.”

 

And she finds herself agreeing.

* * *

Stephanie is the one who looks for the moonstone, while Klaus goes about making plans for the doppelgänger, werewolf, and vampire.  To find the stone, she does extensive research at the library, where she runs into another old face.

“Anna?” Stephanie’s eyebrows shoot upwards and she literally takes a step backwards in surprise.

“Stephanie,” The taller vampire greets coolly.  They eye each other with surprise; Anna has apparently gone “Goth” for her chosen 21st century style, including the black eyeliner that made her eyes stand out on her already pale face. 

“What are you doing in Mystic Falls?” Stephanie asks after a minute, because her time with Klaus has made her a bit paranoid.  (Now that she knows about Michael, the question of who’s with him or against him weighs on her mind, and she’s waiting for Damon to pop up and ruin things, again, as well.  It’s stressful.)

“I could ask the same of you,” Anna says with a hand tight on her backpack that probably contained a stake or two.

Stephanie presses her lips together and wonders if she should take a chance.  She really has no idea where this moonstone is, and she doesn’t want to have to get close to any of the humans (especially Elena Gilbert because the poor girl will be dead soon enough, and Stephanie wouldn’t be able to bare it if they were friends, pretend or not, when it happens) to get the information.

“Do you know anything about the moonstone?  It’s a translucent milky-colored, flat ovoid gemstone that is approximately the size of a hockey puck,” Stephanie uses her fingers to indicate the size and she keeps her eyes on the other vampire, so she doesn’t miss the surprised look on Anna’s face.

“You want to break the Sun and the Moon curse?” Anna asks, eyes wide, “Why?  You have Emily’s ring.”

“So you know about it,” Stephanie states. She won’t trust Anna with the information that the Sun and the Moon curse is a fake; something to help get other vampires and werewolves to come out of the woodwork and to find the doppelgänger.

Anna’s eyes narrow.  “Why do you want to break the curse?” She repeats.

“It’s for a friend,” Stephanie said evenly.

“Three people have to do die in that, you realize,” Anna says, testing the waters.

“Yes.”

Anna’s lips quirk and she’s clearly surprised at Stephanie’s seemingly blasé attitude.  “I’ll help you get it on one condition; help me open the tomb underneath the church.”

“Why would you want to open a tomb?” Stephanie asks, genuinely baffled.

“Damon didn’t tell you, did he?” Anna asks with a wicked smirk.

 

“Tell me what?”

* * *

Stephanie goes home that night to the apartment she and Klaus are staying at.  It’s a on the top floor of a cheap building, but it’s the best that Mystic Falls has to offer; all dark brick and fully furnished with hard wood floors and new appliances. 

(Zach had been relieved when Stephanie had moved out, Steph had known.)

She tells him of the deal she made with Anna, and the Original just rolls his eyes.  “I could have compelled her, you know.”  He frowns though.  “She’d better keep her mouth shut; I don’t need her blabbing to the wrong person about me being here.”

“We’ll be gone soon enough,” Stephanie reminds him and Klaus nods as he walks towards her and kisses her neck.  Steph’s eyes flutter and it’s times like these that she’s vaguely glad that Rebekah wasn’t there with them.  The Original was currently on the other side of the world, keeping an eye on Elijah, making sure he didn’t come to Mystic Falls and ruin the ritual.

“What do you have to do for the strumpet?” Klaus whispers and his hands roam downwards.

“I’ve got to help her open a sealed tomb beneath Fell’s Church; her mother was trapped there in 1864,” Stephanie murmurs as she walks Klaus backwards to their bedroom.  “I’m going to get my father’s journal to see if it has anything about a spell to open it.  If not, I’ll help with something else.  Maybe supply the witches?”

“I have plenty at my disposal,” Klaus murmurs and Stephanie feels his fangs scrape the skin of her neck.  She shudders.  “How is she going to help you find the moonstone?”

“She’s pretending to be friends with Jeremy Gilbert, who knows a bunch of kids around his age,” Stephanie pushes Klaus into a sitting position on their bed.  He pulls her down and kisses her neck, while her lithe legs wrap around Klaus’ waist.  “She’ll see if anyone knows anything and she’s going to help with some research.”

“Not good enough,” Klaus grows and though his voice is rough, his hands are gentle.

“It’s going to have to be,” Stephanie says smartly and unwraps her legs and roughly shoves Klaus down on his back.  He grins and Stephanie loses her shirt; he trails kisses up her abdomen.

Stephanie bends down and her nails rake Klaus’ chest and he practically purrs.  They drop their fangs at the same time, but Steph is the one that bites into Klaus’ tender neck first.  His body tenses, but then it falls lax beneath her and their minds meld and feelings are shared.

 

Stephanie sighs; the feeling of freedom, recklessness, and complete uninhibited joy is what she feels whenever they do this.  Klaus makes her _feel_ and it’s complete, pure and unadulterated passion.  His memories of her Ripper days make Stephanie shy away, but Klaus’ enthusiasm draws her back in.   Always.

* * *

Klaus doesn’t make her drink human blood, surprisingly enough.  She would put up a fight of course, but the Original can compel and he’s got centuries on her, making him a great deal stronger.  (But she’s not afraid of him; she’s never been afraid of him.)

He continues making plans for his werewolf, and Stephanie meets with Anna, who has the Gilbert journal, which tells them where the grimoire they need, is; buried with Stephanie’s father.  They dig it up together and Klaus personally meets them at the tomb with two of his witches, Greta and Maddox.

Anna’s eyes rove Klaus’ form when he appears, and he drinks it up, winking at her. “Klaus,” Stephanie says, perhaps a little sharply, and Anna straightens, eyes widening in terror.

“Klaus?” Anna nearly squeaks, “The Original Vampire Klaus?” Her head swivels to Stephanie and her eyes are rounded to the size of dinner plates.  “How did _you_ come to associate with _the_ Original?”

Stephanie levels Anna a firm look.  “It doesn’t matter; he’s helping get your mother out of the tomb and then you’re going to finish up locating the moonstone for me.”

“Let’s get the show on the road then, love,” Klaus cuts in smoothly and tilts his head toward the two witches.  They all troop into the opening and Greta takes the grimoire, while Maddox takes her left hand so that they can channel each other more thoroughly.  “Ready?” Klaus asks sharply and Maddox nods, while Greta turns to the correct page in the grimoire.

Anna hovers at the entry way to the inner sanctum of the tomb, a small satchel of blood bags resting on her shoulder.  Steph watches the other vampire’s eyes dart from Stephanie to Klaus and back and sees the utter confusion on her face.

Latin chanting echoes in the enclosed space and Stephanie turns her gaze back to Klaus, who is keeping a sharp eye on Anna as well with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

“Now,” Greta snaps breathily and resumes chanting.  Anna hesitates for half of a second before speeding downwards to her mother’s resting place.

Stephanie waits a moment before turning to tell Klaus the one thing she’d kept from him.  “She said Katherine was in there.”

“She’s lying to you,” Klaus doesn’t miss a beat, “Katherine’s not in the tomb at all; never was.”

“Is she dead, then?” Stephanie wonders aloud, but she knows in the pit of her stomach that she’s not.

“No,” Klaus shakes his head, “She’s out and about; Elijah’s been tracking her down for the past years, in addition to keeping a lookout for the next doppelgänger.  Hopefully darling Rebekah will be able to keep him occupied for a bit longer.”

Heat floods Stephanie and she has to take a deep breath to keep from seeing red; she’d hoped, fruitlessly, she now knew, that Katherine was dead.

“I’ll extract our revenge,” Klaus’ voice is in Stephanie’s ear and she tilts her head to see him behind her, molding her body into his.  “She kept me from freeing myself for a long time, and she hurt you; she won’t die painlessly.”

“I’m done.”

The two look up to see Anna helping her mother limp through the tomb opening.  Anna’s eyes are round as they take in Klaus’ obviously sensual hand placement and Stephanie’s serene stillness.  The witches stop chanting and they step away from each other, breathless and looking windswept.  Maddox even staggers, eyes fluttering, while Greta seems to sway on the spot, before they gather their wits and use the walls for balance.

Anna’s mother, Pearl, is stiff as a board as her eyes rest on Klaus’ languid form.  “You,” Her voice is gravely but the spite in her tone cannot be missed.  “You’re the reason we were always moving from town to town.”

“No, sweet,” Klaus corrects lightly, but Stephanie can see the danger in his eyes and so she tenses for a fight, “You were always on the move because you were with Katarina.  If you’d have left her, you would have been left alone unscathed.  As it is, your lovely daughter is helping me with something, so you’ll be fine as long as you don’t try anything.”

“Why are you helping him?” Pearl snaps and Steph feels her eyes on her.  The older vampire scoffs derisively as she takes in Klaus’ hand on Steph’s hip.  “He’s using you to achieve his own ends, I do hope you realize.”

Klaus is gone from Stephanie’s side in half a second and Pearl is being shoved up against the wall, shaking the foundations.

“Mom!” Anna screams, but the threat of Klaus, Steph, and two witches holds her back from trying anything, but her eyes promise retribution.

“You must not realize who you’re talking to,” Klaus hisses into Anna’s face, “I’m _the Hybrid_ and Stephanie Salvatore is the Ripper of Monterrey.  I could kill you in an instant, Pearl.  Now, _stop talking to Stephanie and leave the tomb with your daughter.  You’re going to help her get the moonstone for me and you’re not going to tell any of your little friends that I’m in town._ ”

“Yes, Klaus,” Pearl murmurs, entranced.  Anna gasps, tears spilling from her eyes and Stephanie looks away, ignoring the sharp pang in her heart.  She didn’t like Pearl (especially after _that_ comment) but Anna just wanted her mom back after a century and a half.

The mother and daughter leave together, swiftly in the night. 

“She was lying,” Klaus says and it seems loud in the empty feeling chamber.  His azure eyes meet Stephanie’s and they’re icy in their firmness.  “I’m not using you.”

 

Stephanie feels her mouth twitch up into a half smile.  “I know.”

* * *

It takes two more weeks, but soon Anna is handing the moonstone to Stephanie and Klaus compels both and her mother to forget that they saw Klaus and Stephanie in Mystic Falls.  (He makes Anna think that she opened the tomb herself with a witch who’d died in the process of resealing the tomb.)

The full moon is barely a day away and Klaus is as anxious as she’s ever seen him, which sets Steph on edge.  He’s found his werewolf and had locked him up somewhere safe as soon as he’d forced the man to trigger his curse.  Maddox will be snatching the doppelgänger, while Stephanie was tasked with finding a vampire to sacrifice.

She steers clear from both Anna and Pearl, but because they are the only other two vampires in town, Stephanie resigns herself to having to turn someone.  She hasn’t turned anyone in her time (threatened it before, certainly, but not even in her Ripper days did she turn another vampire) because she’s never wanted to damn anyone else (she had her fill with Damon; the regret weighs on her mind all the time without adding to it) and the fact that when she was a Ripper, she had had Klaus’ company.  Who needed another vampire around when there was Klaus and Rebekah?

She waited until the Day Of to actually turn her chosen person, a convicted murderer who had been in an accident during transport from a local county jail to a state prison. 

“Who are you?” The man is grimy and still a little bloody; the doctor hasn’t been to see him yet.

“ _Are you guilty_?” Stephanie compels him.  “ _Tell me the truth_.”

“Of course,” The felon drones and his lips barely move.

Stephanie snaps the hand cuffs that keep him strapped to the bed and feeds him her blood, compelling him to be silent.  The sound of his neck snapping is quick and done by her deft fingers.

The door behind her opens.  “What is going on in here?”

Stephanie flashes away with the man in transition, too fast for the orderly to get a good look at her.  She takes him to the field that’s been set aside for this and drops the dead man onto the ground.  A ring of fire sprouts up around him and Stephanie looks up to see Greta nod at her.

“Where’s Klaus?” Stephanie is slightly worried.  The curse had to be broken when the moon was at its apex and darkness has already fallen.

“Right here, love,” Klaus drawled and Steph turned to see him hauling the unconscious Mayor Lockwood over one shoulder.  “Maddox will be along shortly.”

Mayor Lockwood is dropped onto the ground a short distance from the criminal and Greta murmurs something that makes another ring of fire spring up, trapping him inside.  The werewolf is choking and wincing at the pull of the moon, close to transforming. 

Klaus and Stephanie hear something in the trees and they turn to see Maddox nearly dragging a frightened teenage girl behind him.  Her doe brown eyes are wide with confusion and fear, and they are filled with tears.  She has a few scratches from branches on her face and her hands are tucked closely into her body.

“Why are you doing this?” She hiccups and Stephanie turns away, closing her eyes to the sound.  Was she really going to let Klaus kill these innocent people?  Even the murderer – he was still a person.  What made her have to the ability to choose who would live and who would die?

“It’s nothing personal,” Klaus whispers sweetly into the girl’s ear, “Really, it’s not, but this is something that has to be done.”

The doppelgänger is put into her own ring of fire and the convict wakes up, gasping for air while Greta walked over to him and fed him her blood, finishing the transition.

“Let’s get started!” Klaus snapped at Maddox and Greta, “The moon’s ready.”

Stephanie heard the doppelgänger whimper and the werewolf howled in the pain of his prolonged transition and she winced.

“Nik,” She murmured and the Original turned to her, surprised.

“Yes, love?” He asked and he was at her side not a moment later, fingers cradling her face.  “Something the matter?  We need to get started.”

“The doppelgänger . . .” Stephanie trailed off and looked up into Klaus’ eyes hopefully, “Can we . . . she’s going to die.  She’s innocent.  So are the werewolf and the man.”

“Now really isn’t a good time for second thoughts, love,” Klaus’ grip tightened and his eyes narrowed.  “What’s got you changing your mind?”

“Can’t we . . . give her some vampire blood?  The doppelgänger?” She could scarcely believe what she was asking.  “That way at least someone doesn’t have to die.  You’ll still turn, because she’ll be technically dead.”

Klaus’ face is expressionless.  “What if it doesn’t work?  Then I’ll be short a doppelgänger and another won’t reappear because she’ll be a vampire and not able to reproduce.” He leans in close and Stephanie can smell his sweet breath in his face.  “I won’t be able to protect us from Michael.  We’ll die.”

Stephanie blinks and nods sharply.  “Of course.  It was a ridiculous idea.”

“You’re just too empathetic for your own good,” Klaus murmurs always pityingly and for more than the first time, Stephanie wonders how she can love this monster who would sacrifice innocents for his own gain.

_You’re doing it too.  You won’t stop him._

Her thoughts are right, of course.  She won’t stop him.

The ritual starts and Stephanie steals one last glance at the Gilbert’s form in the ring of fire.  She’s stopped crying and her stance is strong as she meets Stephanie’s gaze.  The doppelgänger curls her lip, seemingly in disgust at Stephanie and the vampire winces, but she doesn’t drop her gaze.

The human is stronger than she ever will be.

The werewolf gets his heart ripped out and the vampire mummifies after being staked, but it’s Elena who Stephanie watches die.

“Thank you for being so cooperating, lovely,” Klaus murmurs to the Gilbert girl.

“Go to hell,” She spits.

Klaus chuckles.  “I’m avoiding it, actually, and your sacrifice is helping me.” He drains the girl and doesn’t let a single drop escape.

Stephanie’s eyes are riveted to their forms and the sound of the doppelgänger’s heart is tantalizing as it fades from furious drums to a thread tapping.  Finally, Klaus drops the girl onto the ground and he looks up and across the meadow, meeting Steph’s eyes.

Spidery veins are crawling down his eyes, and his irises are a bright gold that shimmer and glow in the night.  His fangs have dropped and he howls, dropping to the ground in a huddle.  Steph’s eyes widen as she hears his bones begin to break and realign themselves for the change.

She rushes to his side as he screams and screams.

Was this a greater mistake than she thought?  Was she going to lose Klaus as well as have those three innocent souls’ deaths on her conscience?

 

“I’m here,” She murmurs instead of speaking her thoughts, “I’m here.”

* * *

Klaus wakes up dirty and naked on the forest floor.  His body is trembling and aching in places he didn’t think could hurt and his mind is fuzzy, like someone stuffed cotton in his ears and spun him around and around in circles.

Klaus blinks up at the blue sky and bright sunlight that filters through the tree tops and turns his head to look at the figure curled up on the ground next to him.

Her caramel hair is wild and her makeup is smeared and there’s even a little blood on her lips.  Her blouse is torn in two different places and her jeans are slightly ripped.  She’s barefoot.

Klaus watches his own hand as it reaches out and caresses her tangled hair, feeling its soft and silkiness beneath his fingertips.  His love’s eyelashes flutter open, revealing dark green irises that pierce through Klaus like a shot to the heart.

“Stephanie Salvatore,” He breaths and he can feel his blinding grin, “You stuck around, did you?” He doesn’t let her see the minute relief he’s feeling.  Who loves a monster as atrocious as he?  Someone as vicious and deep feeling as he.

“Klaus,” She smiles at him and Klaus tugs her closer to his chest.

“I changed,” He murmurs, silently surprised.

“You were a wolf for three days,” Stephanie says into his neck as she breathes into scent.

“I can change at will then,” Klaus surmises.

“Your clothes are shredded,” Stephanie reminds him.

He smirks.  “I’m sure you don’t mind.”

She rolls her eyes but Klaus can see it’s only half-heartedly; she’s upset about something.  “What’s the matter?” He asks a little insistently.

“Nothing,” Steph waves him off and kisses him to distract him, but Klaus will ask again later.  He’ll find out what’s wrong with his little love.  “Let’s get home.”

They run together and Klaus marvels at the speed he now has; he nearly drags Stephanie along with him.  (That can be partially resolved after she starts drinking human blood again, Klaus knows.) They arrive at their apartment and show, and he grabs a blood bag for a quick fix until they get on the road.

“Let’s leave this town,” Klaus offers with a charming grin, “There’s nothing keeping you here and I can show you the world.”

Stephanie lips quirk at something, but she doesn’t say anything except, “Let me get home and pack my things.”

 

Klaus silently rejoices and calls his sister to let her know that everything went according to plan; he’s free and Stephanie is his once more, and this time, he’s not letting her go.

* * *

Stephanie finds Zach gone when she gets back to the Boarding House to pack a bag.  She combs her bedroom for anything she’ll need, including a couple of journals and the necklace that sits on her dresser.

“Rebekah will be missing this,” She murmurs and puts it into her bag.

Her mind is on the doppelgänger and the other two that they heartlessly killed.  The Gilbert girl’s sneer is in her head and all of her thoughts, shaming her.

“Hello, sister.”

Stephanie stiffens and turns around to find Damon standing arrogantly on her balcony in a leather jacket and a cocky smirk.

“Damon,” Stephanie greets politely with a small smile.  She’s missed him, even if he was a complete dick the last time they saw each other.

“Leaving so soon?  I just got into town,” Damon walks into the room, eyes sweeping it top to bottom and Stephanie knows that he can see the dust that’s been accumulating.  “Don’t you want to spend some quality time with your big brother?”

“Sorry, big brother,” Stephanie says dryly, “You’ve come a little too late this time; I’m leaving Mystic Falls and thinking of going abroad.  Maybe next time.”

She slips her backpack onto her back and turns to look at Damon, who is apparently in a conciliatory mood.

“Come on; let’s go get a drink together,” Damon said, “Let bygones be bygones.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Sorry Damon,” Stephanie apologizes, genuinely sorry.  “I’m not mad at you anymore, if that’s what you’re after.  I’ve just made plans with a friend.”

Damon’s eyes narrow but his grin is friendly enough.  “Alright.  Let’s meet in Italy one year from today, then.  Catch up.”

Stephanie smiles.  “I’d love to.” She disappears before Damon can get any more friendly and meets Klaus in the front of their apartment.  He’s dragging a little, his strength a little wane from his transformation, but he’s still insurmountably stronger than her or any other vampire.

“Ready, love?” Klaus asks as Stephanie takes his hand.

“Yes.” She doesn’t mention Damon’s visit.

“Let’s get something to go, then, shall we?” Klaus asks and there’s something wicked in his gaze.  She hears it a moment later; the telltale pounding of a human heart just around the corner.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Stephanie protests.

“Come on, Ripper,” Klaus murmurs into her ear, “Just a taste before we head out.  You should be strong when we finally kill my father.” He beckons a young girl forwards and takes a drink from her himself before gently pushing her towards Stephanie.

Stephanie licks her lips and before she can get herself well away from temptation, she dives for the jugular and she (almost) wishes that she didn’t delight in the screams that tore out of the dying girl’s throat.

The girl’s body drops to the ground and Steph makes to lick the blood off of her lips, but Klaus beats her to it.

“Now, that’s more like it,” He murmurs, “So where to first?  Paris?  Rome?  I’ve got some beautiful artwork hung around in different museums; you’ve inspired a number of them.  Care to see?”

Stephanie meets his gaze and with human blood thrumming through her and clouded mind seeing only her Hybrid lover in front of her, agrees.

“Anywhere and everywhere,” She whispers.

“Fantastic.”


End file.
